Sunsets

-ˏˋ Chapter Four ˊˎ

Elaine was walking through the school hallways to her last class of the day. It was a short day, meaning she had two classes less than usual. She was heading to art class, her hair flowing down her back and her soft bangs framing her face. She got to class and took a seat next to Camille, which she hated but they had a project together, in the end. They got their project back and both their eyes darted to check the mark. They got an 11, they had passed, but both Camille and Elaine were hoping for at least a 15, if not a full 20. Elaine and Camille looked at each other.

"This is your fault! This would've been much better if I had done this alone!" Camille hissed at Elaine.

"We would've gotten a good grade if you actually cared about this project!" Elaine shot back.

They kept going back and forth until the teacher told them to quiet down.

The bell rang and Elaine went to her dorm room. She was so frustrated. If there was one thing she hated, it was failure. She felt so disappointed in herself and so angry at Camille. She didn't know how to get her frustration out and grabbed her headphones. She put on music and went on a very long walk. The walk was so long that her legs were aching when she got back. Elaine decided to go to the closest restaurant to get something to eat and she got herself a takeout spaghetti, she decided to eat in her dorm, she didn't have the energy to be around people. After eating her dinner, Elaine got to studying, doing homework, and organizing notes. She had music playing softly in the background and was fully concentrated. Her focus broke when she heard a knock on her door. She sighed and got up to open it, Jules and Louis were at the door.

"Wanna go out?" Jules asked.

Elaine shook her head, "I don't feel like going out, I'm tired"

"Can we come in, then?" Louis asked.

Elaine let them into the dorm room. It was quite tidy, except for the books sprawled all over the table. Jules and Louis sat on the couch and cuddled up together. The three chatted until it was curfew and time for each one of them to head to their own dorms. Elaine sighed and relaxed with a book but just couldn't focus. She had this nagging need to study more, be smarter, and make everyone more amazed and proud. She sat down at the table and started studying again. Before she even noticed, it was 1 am. She silently cursed at herself. She had to get enough sleep since she had a math test the next day. She tried to sleep but her mind wouldn't let her. A million thoughts rushed through her head at the speed of light. In the end, it all quieted down and she fell into a slumber.

Elaine woke up in the morning, not feeling too rested. She realized she'd slept in. She rushed to get dressed and get ready. Then, she grabbed her bag and ran to get a takeaway espresso. She walked into her class right on time. She took a seat near the back. She was so nervous about the test, her day had already started out badly. She took a deep breath and finished her coffee. The teacher placed the test on her desk, and she found her pencil case. The test started, and Elaine flipped through the questions. She started to answer them, trying to focus. Elaine was about halfway through when she noticed Camille standing up to turn her test in. She was wearing that annoying smirk. Elaine looked back at her test and finished it after a good while, standing up to turn it in.

Elaine walked to her next class after math was done, but as she was walking past a storage closet, she heard rustling. She decided to watch the door closely as she was waiting for her class to start, and as she was about to walk into class, she saw no one other than Camille, and some black-haired girl. The two looked around the hallway, consciously. Elaine noticed Camille flushed and slightly messed up as she walked into class. She decided to not comment on it, it was for the better. Elaine sat through the class, it was nothing special. The day was long and boring until she went to the beach with Jules and Louis. The three were watching the sunset and Louis was trying to stop Jules from smoking. Elaine chuckled at the scene but it made her feel uneasy. Jules had obviously gone through stuff in her life, that much was clear. The three were sitting on a small picnic blanket, the orange and pink sky reflecting in the sea. Elaine started to zone out, music playing in one ear. The sun felt warm on her face. Suddenly, a thought appeared in her head. Who was that girl that Camille had been in that storage closet with? Elaine couldn't help but wonder. She had never seen the girl before. Elaine was questioning the whole situation. What were they doing? Who was the other girl? There seemed to be no way to find out.

The next day, it was finally a weekend. Louis and Jules forced Elaine to go out with them so she wouldn't sit in her dorm all day. They took the bus to the town and walked around, goofing about all day. They got Thai food and ice cream, went shopping, walked through the park, swung on swings on some abandoned playground, and had a lot of fun. Elaine didn't complain; why would she? The day was fun. On the bus home, Jules fell asleep on Louis's shoulder. It was an adorable sight. The grin on Louis's face made it even better. He was so pure, always so happy and kind. The two chatted for the bus ride and woke Jules up when they reached the school again. As Elaine and Jules were walking up the stairs through the girl's dorms, they heard arguing. They peeked into the hall and found Camille arguing with that girl she'd seen her with earlier. They both seemed angry at each other. Elaine only heard fractions of the conversation, something about time, parties, stupid... It wasn't that easy to tell what the argument was about. The black-haired girl walked closer and closer to Camille. Jules and Elaine looked at each other and back to the drama. The girl backed Camille into the wall. She backed her against the wall and kissed her. It seemed so natural. Camille seemed to kiss the girl back. Elaine and Jules walked up to their floor, shocked and confused.

"What was that?" Jules whisper-yelled.

"I think they're like dating or something, I saw them come out of a storage closet earlier," Elaine whispered back, "Not to gossip but I was not expecting that"

"Well, I got to go," Jules said, and hugged Elaine goodbye.

"Bye," Elaine said, hugging Jules back.

Elaine got back to her room and unwinded for the evening. She was still thinking about Camille and that other girl. Were they dating? Elaine felt this weird feeling she couldn't describe but shrugged it off. She took a long shower and sat down with a Netflix series. Slowly, sleepiness started creeping into her. She felt her eyelids drooping, her limbs getting heavier, and her heartbeat settling. It felt peaceful. Her mind was focused on the computer only, not a single thought outside of that. Elaine turned her laptop off and got under the covers, she curled up, gently hugging a pillow, and dozed off into a peaceful and undisturbed sleep.

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